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Parents Think Social Media, Tech Is School Kids' Greatest Foe: Poll

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 16, 2024.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Aug. 16, 2024 -- Parents are worried that social media and technology will get in the way of schoolkids building meaningful connections with classmates and teachers during the upcoming school year, a new poll finds.

Half of parents (50%) say too much time spent with technology will be their kids’ top challenge in forming positive connections with those around them, say national poll results from the Kids Mental Health Foundation.

By comparison, 30% considered bullying the top challenge to building connections, and 22% are concerned about the lingering social impact of the pandemic.

Another 19% said their kids struggle to make connections because they don’t feel they fit in due to their race, ethnicity, culture, income level or gender identity, the poll found.

“We know connections help foster a sense of belonging and when kids feel like they belong at school, they perform better academically and live healthier lives overall. Belonging is especially important to the adjustment and acculturation of immigrant children,” said researcher Ariana Hoet, executive clinical director of the Kids Mental Health Foundation and a pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

“Technology is not all good or all bad, but parents should look for warning signs if you feel your child’s balance with technology use is affecting their real-world social connections,” Hoet added in a hospital news release.

Among kids, the biggest connection-based concerns involve fitting in (14%), making new friends in class (17%), being bullied or excluded (13%) or making new friends in sports or extracurricular activities (5%).

“The good news is that teachers and parents can help increase feelings of belonging in children,” Hoet said. “However, we have to keep in mind that this may be harder for immigrant parents who may not understand the school system and culture.”

Hoet recommended that parents can help a child fit in by:

Parents also should keep an eye out for warning signs that their kid is spending too much time on social media, video games or other technology, Hoet said. These include:

The poll was conducted Aug. 2-4 and involved 1,146 adult parents of children younger than 18.

Sources

  • Nationwide Children’s Hospital, news release, Aug. 16, 2024

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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